Theater students take stage for pair of comedies
Franklin High School’s advanced theater program will present two plays between Friday, March 6 and Monday, March 9.
Mounting two productions at once is a first for Robert Jessup’s theater class. Preparing two shows means twice as many lines to learn, twice as many costumes to assemble, twice as many sets to design and generally twice as much work to do. However, Jessup feels that the class is up to the task and that it will be worth it to bring both of these scripts to life.
“When I first read these, they had me laughing out loud in the middle of a restaurant,” Jessup said. “My waitress told me that I had to pick these or something must be wrong.”
The first show, Check Please, is about a man and a woman who each go on a series of increasingly awful blind dates. It’s a mentally exhausting process for both protagonists, but the actors are left with plenty to think about too. Lead actress Teri Martin, whose character is simply named “Girl,” says that it’s been a rewarding challenge to get into character when four of her dates are all played by co-star Traveler Shaw.
“I have to be like ‘this person is playing like four different people! Who is he now? Where are we?’” Martin said. “It’s been rough.”
The second show, The Plot, Like Gravy, Thickens, gets even more complicated. The story follows a rich businessman’s family and friends as they all try to prove their innocence following his murder at his own birthday party.
With a scorned wife, a resentful daughter, a vengeful ex, a shady lawyer, an adulterous secretary, a power-hungry business partner and many more filling out the cast, there’s no telling whose motive was the most compelling.
Kai Picciano, who plays the part of Peggy Sue, says that it’s been interesting to see all the different combinations of character interactions unfold over the past couple of months as the actors have gotten more comfortable in their roles.
“Each character is so different in how they react to what’s going on,” Picciano said. “It’s been cool to see everybody sink into their characters.”
It’s been a strenuous preparation process for the class. Their class size is too big for everyone to play a meaningful role in a single show, but not quite big enough to fully populate two shows, so many of them have taken on the burden of additional roles. However, that hasn’t mitigated the fun of theatre for the students. Shaw says he’s had a good time experimenting with all of his different characters in Check Please, which include a man who’s physically incapable of listening, a gay method actor preparing for a role as a straight man and a fashion fanatic who shows up to his date in a Versace burlap sack.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Shaw said. “We get work done, but it’s still been pretty chill.”
At the end of the day, Jessup will just be glad that every student had at least one opportunity to shine on stage.
“I didn’t want to have to cast anyone as ‘Tree #4’ and just have them stand there,” Jessup said. “This way, everyone has lines and everyone has something to do.”
Check Please will run on Friday, March 6 and Sunday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at Franklin High School’s Fine Arts Center. The Plot, Like Gravy, Thickens will run on Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m. and on Monday, March 9 at 3:30 pm, also at the Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $8 for one show or $12 for both and are sold at the door. For more information, call Jessup 828-524-6467.